Stack creeling system and method of continuously creeling yarn

Abstract

A stack creeling system for the continuous creeling of yarn from a supply of yarn includes at least two rows of creeling units wherein each creeling unit includes at least two discrete creel frames, the creel frames support the yarn supply for rotatably unwinding the yarn therefrom. The method of continuously creeling yarn from the yarn supplies includes creeling yarn from one row, securing the free end of the yarns from the other row to the captured ends of the yarn supplies in the one row and permitting the yarn supplies for the one row to be expended, wherein thereafter the yarn supplies are replenished and the method repeated to alternately creel yarn from the one and other rows to effect a continuous creeling operation.

What I claim is: 
     
       1. A method of continuously creeling yarn from a supply of yarn wound around a rotatable yarn support, said yarn supply having a captured end near said support and a free end, said method comprising the steps of: (a) selecting a predetermined plurality of said yarn supplies each supported for rotatable movement in a frame, said frame including means permitting said frame to be vertically stacked with a predetermined number of similar ones of said frame;   (b) vertically stacking at least two of said frames to form a plurality of stacked units each of said stacked units including at least an upper frame supporting an upper yarn supply and a lower frame supporting a lower yarn supply;   (c) arranging said stacked units in at least two substantially parallel rows;   (d) creeling yarn from said upper and lower yarn supplies of said units comprising one of said rows by unwinding said yarn in a direction from said free end to said captured end;   (e) connecting the free end of the upper yarn supplies in said other row with the captured end of a corresponding opposing one of said upper yarn supplies in said one row;   (f) connecting the free end of the lower yarn suplies in said other row with the captured end of a corresponding opposing one of said lower yarn supplies in said one row; and   (g) permitting said yarn supplies of said one row to be expended thereby permitting creeling of said yarn supplies in said other row to effect continuous creeling of said yarn.   
     
     
       2. A method as in claim 1 further comprising after step (g), the steps of: (h) resupplying the yarn supplies of said one row;   (i) connecting the free end of the upper yarn supplies in said one row with the captured end of a corresponding opposing one of said upper yarn supplies in said other row;   (j) connecting the free end of the lower yarn supplies in said one row with the captured end of a corresponding opposing one of said lower yarn supplies in said other row; and   (k) permitting said yarn supplies of said other row to be expended thereby permitting creeling of said yarn supplies in said one row to effect continuous creeling of said yarn.   
     
     
       3. A method as in claim 2 wherein step (h) is practiced according to the steps of: (1) removing the stacked units from said one row; and   (2) positioning reserve stacked units comprising yarn supplies in said one row.   
     
     
       4. A method as in claim 2 or 3 wherein steps (h)-(k) are repeated so as to alternately effect creeling from said one and other rows. 
     
     
       5. A method as in claim 1, 2 or 3 further comprising the step of preventing the yarn being creeled from the yarn supplies in said lower frames of said one or other rows from rubbing against said upper frames of said one or said other rows. 
     
     
       6. A system of continuously creeling yarn from a plural supplies of yarn wound around a respective rotatable yarn support, each said yarn supply having a captured end near said support and a free end, said system comprising: a plurality of units arranged in at least first and second substantially parallel rows, each of said units comprising at least upper and lower vertically stacked upper and lower creel frame means each for supporting a respective one of said plural yarn supplies, each of said upper and lower creel frame means including (a) journal means for journally supporting said yarn supply for rotatable movement therewith and for permitting removable placement of said yarn supply with said frame means, and (b) means permitting vertical stackable unity between said upper and lower frame means, wherein   each free end of a yarn supply supported in an upper creel frame means of said first row is connected to a captured end of a yarn supply supported in a corresponding opposing one of an upper creel frame means of said second row; and wherein   each free end of a yarn supply supported in a lower creel frame means of said first row is connected to a captured end of a yarn supply supported in a corresponding opposing one of a lower creel frame means of said second row;   whereby upon exhaust of said yarn supplies of said second row upon creeling thereof, the yarn from said yarn supplies of said first row is then creeled by virtue of the connection of said free and captured ends between opposing yarn supplies of said first and second rows.   
     
     
       7. A system as in claim 6 wherein at least said upper frame means includes roller means including mounting means to rotatably mount said roller means to the lower front portion of said upper frame means, said roller means for preventing the yarn of said yarn supply in said lower frame means from rubbing against said upper frame means wherein said mounting means permits said roller means to be interchangeably moved between said upper frame means of said first and second rows. 
     
     
       8. A system as in claim 6 or 7 wherein each of said upper and lower frame means comprises front and rear pairs of opposing vertical support posts and support means rigidly separating said support posts, said yarn supply being substantially centrally placeable relative said support posts. 
     
     
       9. A system as in claim 8 wherein said means permitting stackable unity comprises male members formed on the upper end of predetermined ones of said support posts and means defining a cavity formed in the lower end of corresponding predetermined ones of said support posts, said cavity defining means for accepting one of said male members of said lower frame means therein to establish stackable unity between said upper and lower frame means. 
     
     
       10. A vertically stackable creel frame comprising: frame means for supporting a supply of yarn;   means associated with said frame means for journally supporting said yarn supply and for permitting removable placement of said yarn supply with said frame means; and   means permitting vertical stackable unity between said frame means and other similar ones of said frame means and including male member means formed on one end of said front and rear support posts and means defining a cavity formed in the other end of said front and rear support posts, said male member means of said frame means being receivable in said cavity defining means of a similar one of said frame means so as to establish vertical stackable unity between said frame means and said similar one;   roller means for preventing yarn from a yarn supply of a similar frame means inferiorly stacked with respect to said first mentioned frame means from rubbing against said first mentioned frame means; and   mounting means to removably mount said roller means to said first mentioned frame means to permit said roller means to be removably transferred to similar ones of said frame means.   
     
     
       11. A creel frame as in claim 10 wherein said frame means includes a front pair of rigidly spaced apart vertical support posts;   a rear pair of rigidly spaced apart vertical support posts; and   support means rigidly and opposingly separating said front and rear pairs of support posts.   
     
     
       12. A creel frame as in claim 10 or 11 further comprising roller means rotatably mounted to said frame means for preventing yarn from contacting said frame means. 
     
     
       13. A creel frame as in claim 12 wherein said roller means is removably mounted to said frame means. 
     
     
       14. A creeling unit comprising a plurality of vertically stacked creel frames as in claim 10 or 11. 
     
     
       15. A creel frame as in claim 10 wherein said mounting means includes a pair of spaced-apart roller supports fixed to said frame means to support said roller means therebetween, each said roller support including an open-ended aperture to receive a respective end of said roller means. 
     
     
       16. A creel frame as in claim 15 wherein each end of said roller means includes means defining parallel surfaces and wherein said aperture is at least partially defined by parallel edges, said edges cooperating with said surfaces to removably mount said roller means to said roller supports. 
     
     
       17. A method as in claim 5 wherein said step of preventing the yarn being creeled from the yarn supplies in said lower frames from rubbing against said upper frames is practiced utilizing a removable roller, said roller being transferred between said one and other rows in dependence upon which row is being creeled.